Love means never having to say something in over 140 characters.

According to new research out of Britain, Twitter is the most preferred method of communication between couples, topping text messages and that 20th century relic, the telephone.

Putting the 'social' in 'social media'

According to the study, "it now takes couples an average of 224 tweets, 163 text messages, 70 Facebook messages, 37 emails and 30 phone calls to fall head over heels in love."

How long is that, exactly? Well, people under the age of 25 said it takes an average of 24 days before they start calling that special someone their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Men and their messages

Forget mixed messages -- men are all about just sending messages, period. They'll send an average of 517 messages on Facebook in the hopes of seducing someone, compared to 386 for women, proving social media just might be the modern-day singles bar.

Why wait?

And with today’s instantaneous world we live in, old notions about waiting to get in touch with someone seem more antiquated than an 8-track player. That’s because 68% say they see no problem talking to someone within four hours of their first date.

Unfriending without benefits

Of course, social media makes ending a romance a harsh reality, too.

Breaking up with someone via phone is still the most popular way to go (36%), but 27% have done it over text and 13% have done it through social media. Ouch.

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